462 
UNGULATES. 
sportsmen, yet they are much sought after by the native South-American hunters 
for the sake of their flesh and hide. The flesh is said to be juicy and well- 
flavoured, and both in appearance and taste resembles beef. The skin, which is of 
great thickness and strength, is cut into long thongs, which, after being rounded 
and treated with fat, are used for reins and bridles. It is, however, unsuited for 
shoe-leather, as it becomes very hard and unyielding when dry, and very soft and 
spongy when wetted. The hairs, hoofs, and certain other parts are used by the 
natives as medicine; the hoofs being sometimes hung round the neck as charms, 
and in other cases ground to powder and taken internally. 
In South America tapirs are generally hunted with the aid of dogs, which 
chase the animals through the forest until they enter the water. Here they are 
attacked by the hunters, who have lain concealed among the reeds on the river 
bank, and by them they are pursued as they dive and swim in the water. When 
the area of water is not too large, the chase is frequently of no great duration, and 
the animal is before long despatched either with a club or a hunting-knife. Some¬ 
times, however, the hunt is more protracted, the tapir leaving the water and 
breaking away from the dogs among the dense reeds or bushes, until again brought 
to bay in another pool or river. The traveller Schomburgk gives a graphic account 
of a tapir hunt he once witnessed when in South America. As his vessel rounded 
a headland on the river, a female tapir with her young came into view standing on 
a sandbank. Scarcely, however, had his Indians time to utter the word “ Maipuri ” 
(the native name of the common species), than the two animals caught sight of the 
party, and dashed into the thick cover on the bank. This cover was in the form 
of giant reeds and grass, with sharp-cutting edges, some seven feet in height, 
which offered a formidable obstacle to the progress of Europeans. The Indians, 
however, wriggled their way between the stems like snakes; and soon two shots 
in quick succession, followed by a shout of triumph, told that they had come up 
with their quarry. When Schomburgk reached the scene, he passed the female 
tapir lying dead with a bullet through the lungs. The dogs then took up the trail 
of the young one, which was concealed among the reeds. As soon as the creature 
perceived that it was discovered by the dogs, it uttered the peculiar whistling 
cry, mentioned above, by which the hunters were guided to its place of con¬ 
cealment. Eventually the young tapir, which was about the size of an ordinary 
full - grown pig, broke cover, and after an exciting although short chase was 
despatched. 
In some parts the South American Indians track the tapir to its lair, and 
shoot it as it lies. In Paraguay, when the hunters capture a young tapir of too 
large a size to be carried on a horse in front of the rider, they bore a hole in one 
side of the snout through which they pass a thong, and the animal will then follow 
readily enough when led. 
Next to man, the worst foes of the tapir are the larger cats; the 
Foes. . . r . 5 
jaguar preying largely on the American species (as depicted in the 
coloured Plate in the first volume), and the tiger attacking its Malayan cousin. 
It is said that when an American tapir is attacked by a jaguar, it immediately 
rushes into the thickest cover in the hope of dislodging its assailant, which from 
the thickness of the animal’s hide is unable to obtain a firm hold on its back. 
